The present invention relates to an ink container usable with an ink jet recording apparatus or the like, a valve unit for an ink container, an ink jet head cartridge provided with the ink container and an ink jet recording apparatus, more particularly an ink container manufactured through a blow molding process, a valve unit for the ink container, an ink jet head cartridge having the ink container and an ink jet recording apparatus.
In a field of a liquid supplying system for supplying the ink to the recording head for ejecting the ink for effecting recording, an ink container capable of providing a negative pressure has been opposed and can be integrated with the recording head (ink jet head cartridge), and this system has been put into practice. The types of the ink jet head cartridge are classified into a type wherein the recording head and the ink container (ink accommodating portion) are normally integral, and a type wherein the recording head and the ink accommodating portion are separation members, and each of them is removable from the recording device, although they are integral in use.
As an easiest method of providing the negative pressure in such a liquid supply system, is to utilize capillary force produced by porous material or fiber members. The ink container used in such a method, the structure includes a porous material or a fiber member such as in compressed sponge accommodated in the entirety of the inside of the ink container and an air vent capable of introducing air into the ink accommodating portion to make the ink supply smooth during recording operation.
However, the system using the porous material or fiber member as an ink holding member, involves a problem that ink accommodation efficiency per unit volume is low. In order to provide a solution to the problem, EP0580433 which has been assigned to the assignee of the present application has proposed an ink container comprising a negative pressure producing member accommodating chamber in fluid communication with the ambience and an ink accommodating chamber which is substantially hermetically sealed, wherein said negative pressure producing member accommodating chamber and said ink accommodating chamber are made integral, and are in fluid communication with each other only through a communicating portion (dual-chamber type).
With such a dual-chamber type ink container, the ink supply to the negative pressure producing member accommodating chamber from the ink accommodating chamber is effected with a gas-liquid exchanging operation in which the gas is introduced and accommodated in the ink accommodating chamber together with the ink supply from the ink accommodating chamber into negative pressure producing member accommodating chamber, so that ink can be supplied under a substantially constant negative pressure during the gas-liquid exchanging operation.
EP0581531 proposes a structure in which a container constituting the ink accommodating chamber is detachably mountable relative to the container constituting the negative pressure producing member accommodating chamber. With this proposal, when the ink is used up, only the ink accommodating chamber is exchanged, and therefore, the amount of the waste can be reduced, which is advantageous in terms of environmental health. In the structure in which the ink accommodating chamber (container) is mounted to or demounted from the part to be supplied with the liquid, such as a negative pressure producing member accommodating chamber or a recording head, the care should be taken to effect sealing at the connection opening to prevent ink leakage until the firm connection is established with the ink receiving part. As for them sealing means for the connection opening, a film seal, for example, is known. When the ink accommodating container and the ink receiving part are connected, a member such as a joint pipe provided in the ink receiving part pieces the film, and the joint pipe enters the connection opening of the ink accommodating container to establish fluid communication between the ink accommodating container and the ink receiving part. However, when the ink accommodating container and the liquid receiving part are detachably mountable relative to each other, it is desirable that following conditions are simultaneously satisfied. First, when the liquid receiving portion and the ink accommodating container are connected with each other, or when they are separated from each other, the ink does not leak from the supply portion of the ink accommodating container irrespective of the position or orientation of the ink accommodating container. Second, when the connection is carried out therebetween, the ink supply path is assuredly opened, and after the connection is completed, the ink is stately supplied out.
Third, some uses may connect and remove repeatedly the ink accommodating container, and therefore, the above- described conditions are satisfied each time the ink accommodating container is mounted and demounted.
In the case of the sealing using the film seal, when the ink accommodating container is removed when the ink in the ink accommodating container is not completely consumed, the ink leaks out since the connection opening (supply port) of the ink accommodating container is unsealably kept open.
It has been proposed that valve structure is provided at the supply port portion of the ink accommodating container. However, in the case of the dual-chamber type ink container of the ink accommodating container exchangeable type, the valve structure is provided in the position where the gas-liquid exchange occurs, and therefore, the valve structure is required to have the reliable opening and closing mechanism which is peculiar to the function of the valve and in addition to have a productive of smooth movement of the gas without stagnation and/or accumulation of the gas in the communicating portion and corresponding smooth supply of the liquid (ink). Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. HEI 11-58772 discloses a structure relating to exchange of the ink accommodating chamber. In this proposal, there are provided a main container portion connected with a recording head and an exchangeable sub-container portion, and a valve mechanism is provided for each of the supply portion of the main container portion and the supply port of the sub-container portion. The valve mechanism is such that valve mechanisms for the supply portion and the supply port are pressed toward each other by the valve mechanisms, by which the valve mechanisms are opened to enable ink supply. Therefore, desirable opening operation cannot be accomplished without balance in the forces of the valve urging members constituting the valve mechanisms.
However, when the exchange of the sub-container portion is repeated, the valve urging member in the supply portion side is deteriorated with the result of imbalance in the forces provided by the valve urging members. For example, when the urging force of the valve urging member of the main container portion becomes small due to the repeated mounting and demounting, it becomes not possible to release the valve mechanism of the sub-container portion, and therefore, the opening and closing operation is not reliable. If the urging force of the valve urging member in the sub-container portion is made weak as a countermeasure against the above- described problem, the ink leakage may occur during transportation.
The valve member in the sub-container portion comprises a flange portion sealing the opening of the supply port, a rod-like projection projected outwardly from the flange portion, wherein the rod-like projection is brought into compact with the valve of the main container portion so that valves are mutually pressed and opened. In this structure, the positions must be controlled such that valve mechanism in the main container portion and the rod-like projection are assuredly pressed against each other to assure a linear motion of the sub-container portion, since otherwise the valve is not opened in the desirable manner. In order to carried out a safe valve opening operation, it is required that sub-container portion is translated (parallel movement) in the mounting operation. Otherwise (for example, using a rotational motion for the purpose of saving space required for the mounting operation), when the abutment of the valves, for example, when the rod-like projection is abutted to a frame of the supply portion before it is abutted to the valve mechanism of the main container portion, with the result that before the intended connection is completed, the valve of the sub-container portion is opened, and therefore, the ink leaks. Then, the intended opening using the urging force is not properly effected, and the valve may clog so that fluid communication is not assured. In addition, a large area is required for the mounting of the sub-container portion. Furthermore, the gas-liquid exchanging operation might be not reliable. Therefore, the valve structure disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. HEI 11-58772 involves a problem to be solved in order to effect the desirable opening and closing of the valve.
On the other hand, in an apparatus effecting full-color recording a plurality of ink accommodating containers are juxtaposed. In this case, a thin (or small with) ink container structure has been proposed in consideration of saving of the foot print of the ink container. In order to assure the proper ink supply from the thin ink accommodating container, the area of the opening for the supply is desirably large. Particularly, when the container is a thin dual-chamber type valve in which the ink accommodating container is exchangeable, the valve structure is very significant in order to assure the reliability of the gas-liquid exchange.
Furthermore, an example of the container is of a dual-chamber type which is provided with the negative pressure producing member accommodating container and the ink accommodating container, and in which the ink accommodating container is exchangeable, the ink accommodating container comprises a hollow rectangular parallelepiped casing and a deformable inner bladder for containing ink therein, in the casing. The inner bladder constitutes a deformable ink accommodating portion or chamber. The casing and the inner bladder are connected with each other around the openings thereof. Except the connecting portion minute retained casing and the inner bladder, namely, the wall portions of the casing and the inner bladder are separable. The feature of such an ink supplying system using the ink container of this type is that inner bladder which directly accommodates the ink deforms with the consumption of the ink therein so as to reduce the inside volume of inner bladder.
When the ink is consumed from the inner bladder, the inner bladder deforms, and at a certain stage, the maximum area surfaces of the inner bladder are contacted to each other. When the inner bladder deforms in this manner, the bottom surface of the inner bladder separates from the casing depending on the position of the supply port, and by the deformation of the portion of the inner bladder adjacent the supply port, the ink flow path in the inner bladder and the bubble path for permitting the bubble to rise during the gas-liquid exchanging operation relative to the outside of the inner bladder are narrowed. Accordingly, when the inner bladder deforms, the flowability of the ink in the inner bladder lowers, and therefore, the ink supply performance may be insufficient when the further high speed printing is desired.
The valve mechanism is desired to have the above-described properties with high reliability. Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel valve structure, an ink container using the valve structure, an ink jet head cartridge having the provision, and an ink jet recording apparatus having the same.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a valve structure, an ink container using the valve structure, an ink jet head cartridge having the provision, and an ink jet recording apparatus having the same, wherein a cross- sectional area of an opening of an ink supply port can be assured even when the ink supply port is formed in a side having a small width, so that ink can be assuredly supplied from the ink container into the ink jet head or the like through the ink supply port, and in addition, a sealing property of a valve structure provided in the ink supply port can be maintained. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a valve structure, an ink container using the valve structure, an ink jet head cartridge having the provision, and an ink jet recording apparatus having the same wherein bubbles do not stagnate or accumulated in the communicating portion to assure a stabilized supply of the liquid. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a valve structure, an ink container using the valve structure, an ink jet head cartridge having the provision, and an ink jet recording apparatus having the same wherein the latitude of the motion of the bubbles are assured, and/or motion of the ink from the ink accommodating chamber to the negative pressure producing member accommodating chamber is promoted.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a valve structure, an ink container using the valve structure, an ink jet head cartridge having the provision, and an ink jet recording apparatus having the same wherein a valve member having sealed the connection opening of an ink accommodating container is pressed by a joint pipe of an ink receiving part, by which the connection opening is unsealed, and when the connection opening is separated from the from, the valve member returns to seal the connection opening, and wherein even when the joint pipe portion clogs in the connection opening portion by an external force to the ink accommodating container, the sealing and the stabilization ink supply are both assured.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a valve structure, an ink container using the valve structure, an ink jet head cartridge having the provision, and an ink jet recording apparatus having the same wherein a liquid container provided with a frame for a piston guide in the form of a tube or a cylinder is detachably mountable to a liquid receiving portion to which the liquid is to be supplied, and the piston of the valve mechanism of the container is movable, and the piston is moved for the liquid supply (by abutting an inserting member), and wherein the rigidity of the frame supporting the piston is higher than the rigidity of the inserting member to avoid a problem of mechanical strength relation between the frame supporting the piston and the inserting member in view of the strength of the inserting member per se to permit motion of the piston. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a valve structure, an ink container using the valve structure, an ink jet head cartridge having the provision, and an ink jet recording apparatus having the same wherein the valve member is prevented from clogging when the ink accommodating container is connected to and disconnected to the liquid receiving portion or when the connection and the disconnection are repeated, thus simultaneously accomplishing assured sealing and stabilized ink supply. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a valve structure, an ink container using the valve structure, an ink jet head cartridge having the provision, and an ink jet recording apparatus having the same wherein a liquid containing portion of the liquid supply container is deformable, and even when the liquid containing portion deforms in response to consumption of the liquid therefrom, the deterioration of the flowability of the liquid in the liquid containing portion due to the narrowing of the passage adjacent the supply port in the liquid containing portion, so that high speed liquid supply is always assured. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid container for containing recording liquid to the supplied to a ink jet recording mechanism to which the liquid container is detachably mountable, the liquid container comprising: a main body; a liquid supply opening formed in the main body and connectable with the ink jet recording mechanism to supply the recording liquid out; wherein the liquid supply opening has an elongated circle configuration.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a valve mechanism comprising: a cylindrical frame; a valve member which is slidable in the frame; a shaft portion provided in the valve member and extended in a slide direction of the valve member; a cap member connecting with one end of the frame and having a bearing opening for supporting the shaft portion; an urging member for urged the valve member away from the cap member; a contact member provided along an inner surface of the frame contactable to a free end of the valve member urged the urging member; an opening, formed in a side of the frame, for disabling, when a free end of the valve member is contacted to the contact member, fluid communication with an opening provided at the other end of the frame and enabling, when the free end is away therefrom, fluid committees with the opening provided at the other end; wherein a configuration of the opening of the frame is elongated circle configuration.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid container for containing recording liquid to be supplied to a recording mechanism to which liquid container is detachably mountable, the liquid container comprising: a liquid supply portion constituting a connecting portion for supplying the recording liquid to the recording mechanism; a valve mechanism, provided in the liquid supply portion, for permitting supply of the recording liquid by insertion of a hollow pipe provided in the recording mechanism to function as a liquid receiving portion and preventing supply of the recording liquid by removing the hollow pipe; and the liquid supply portion has an elongated opening configuration.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid supply container comprising: a supply port, a liquid containing portion sealed except for the supply port, wherein the liquid containing portion is deformable while providing a negative pressure with discharge of the liquid contained therein; a regulating member for regulating a deformation of a portion adjacent the supply port, the regulating member being provided in the liquid containing portion.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.